Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
nzpedals
So, you thought Mick Jagger was just a floppy-mouthed, flamboyant rock-star? Think again. Here, he shows that he is also a very good actor. Untrained, so it seems, so perhaps all that stage prancing about is also acting? Here, he is quiet, suave, measured, and totally convincing!Byron, (Andy Garcia) works for an advertising agency, but when he writes a novel, he tells the boss, Go... yourself". But then finds that his book is not selling very well. The first scene, where he persuades a lady to buy his book is one of the best-ever first scenes you will ever see.Then he rents a room to write in that is away from the distractions of a beautiful wife and child. Alas, writers block stalls him. His agent and publisher are not very helpful. He meets Luther (Jagger) from an adjacent office, who offers him a job. Luther runs an escort agency, catering for wealthy women who need a male, for whatever... (rotten job, but someone has to do it?, or... nice work if you can get it?).One of the clients is Andrea Alcott (Olivia Williams) whose husband is older, dying but accepts that his wife needs... company and so, when he comes across them... quietly turns and leaves the bedroom.Mr Alcott is a very successful writer, but Byron finds fault with his latest book. After some 'words', Alcott agrees to rewrite it, with Byron's help, and they agree to share the royalties. Alas, nothing is written down. So, after Alcott dies, things change.At the end, he writes another book and has another bookshop experience, this also is very good, and helps tie the movie together.Williams is so elegant, so real. An outstanding performance. All the cast are excellent too, and there are some especially good scenes with memorable dialogue.
speedo58
How does Hollywood love the Mephisto story? Let's count the many ways. It has been done and redone and it has long since ceased to be shocking. Are there any new stories out there? Who wouldn't like to take the easy way out of a career that is going nowhere? Andy Garcia has his usual long, pouty face. Mick Jagger proves he is a good musician. Angelica Houston proves she can light up any story. Juliana Margulies is a good mother. James Coburn is intriguing as the dying author contriving to have a legacy, but Olivia Williams isn't beautiful enough to carry off the part of his wife and co-conspirator. Very disappointing.
ninja_superstar-1
The Whore! The Whore! The Whore! Ever wondered why men become gigolos, or why women become prostitutes? If so, then this movie is for you! And speaking of prostitutes and gigolos, Mick Jagger shows up and looks rather dandy for a hideously ugly man.Other than the plot and fact that this movie was made, the worse part of this movie is the abuse of neo-noir lighting/color, voice-over narrative, and jazzy muzak. It's embarrassing, because in most film noir, a woman outsmarts/outsexes an idiot man and then she pays for it in the end. Some of this film noir formula is there, but it's so utterly undermined by the film's moronic premise and overall crappiness that I could not help but rage against my television.In fact, I looked over to my girlfriend 25 minutes into the movie (we hadn't said a word since it started) and said, "This sucks, huh?" "It's getting that way," she replied. The only pleasure I could take was predicting the train wreck before it happened. And when it did happen, I was sad to witness Andy Garcia's last attempt at acting.
dromasca
'The Man from the Elysian Fields' harbors a very good shorter film inside. The story is of an unsuccessful writer trying to survive dry times by joining an escort service. As it happens, his first and almost only relation is with the attractive and young wife of a dying successful writer whom he joins in the writing of his last novel. I liked this part, which tells a lot about the parallel relation - sexual and professional - between the couple and their hired lover and ghost writer. The problem with the script is that this bright and original idea is wrapped in a much more conventional Hollywood like melodrama or romantic movie as they like to call it. The wrapping is much weaker and what is worse is the off-the-screen text read by the otherwise original character played by Mick Jagger. Acting is actually another good part of the movie, with Mick Jagger, James Coburn and Anjelica Houston giving good supporting acts. I am not a big fan of Andy Garcia, but he is better than the usual here. The two main feminine characters are acted OK, not more. Overall, an interesting movie, could have been better if the writer to writer theme was left unwrapped in melodrama. 7 out of 10 on my personal scale.
